Narragansett Man Charged With Fifth Degree Arson

Police arrested a Narragansett man last week on a felony arson charge after a landlord and a tenant in his apartment building noticed a fire coming from his room on multiple occasions.

James W. Christodal, 39, of 1084 Boston Neck Road, Apt. 7, Narragansett, was arrested at about 9:53 p.m. on Sept. 6 and charged with fifth degree arson, a felony.

According to police, at about 8:25 p.m. they received a report of a man trying to light items on fire in an apartment. When they arrived on scene, the landlord of the property said that he had received complaints about Christodal starting fires in his apartment.

Police said when they entered Christodal’s apartment, they saw Christodal attempting to light a cigarette from the stovetop. He told police that he had overcooked some food.

According to police, they could see several burnt items in a ceramic bucket, along with a large amount of ash on top of a wooden dresser and the floor. Police noted that the top of the wooden dresser was charred from fire.

Police said that there was water, trash and mud throughout the apartment, and the smoke detector had been disconnected. Based on the evidence at the scene, Christodal was charged with fifth degree arson.

Police said they asked Christodal if he had been drinking, at which point he replied, “What time is it?” Police noted that Christodal smelled of alcohol.

According to police, a tenant in an apartment adjacent to Christodal said she first complained to the landlord of his behavior at about 2:35 p.m., when she saw smoke coming from his room. She again told the landlord at about 8:30 p.m. of smoke coming from his room, and into her room, and the police were called.

According to the apartment building’s property owner, she had given Christodal formal notice of his eviction earlier that afternoon, based on his behavior and complaints from residents.

Police said that while being transported to headquarters, Christodal mumbled incoherently and began singing. He was held overnight.

According to online court records, Christodal has been arrested more than 10 times by various police departments, dating back to 1998. The offenses were typically misdemeanors – possession of marijuana, larceny less than $500 – with occasional felony breaking and entering charges.

Because of his past offenses, Christodal is being held without bail at the ACI. He is scheduled for felony screening for the arson offense on Oct. 11.

The information for this article was compiled from Narragansett police reports, which are available for review by any member of the public at their . If we’re missing a call or report you’re interested in knowing about, feel free to leave a comment or to send Local Editor Stephen Greenwell a message at Stephen.greenwell@patch.com.

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